Posted Monday, October 20, 2003; 21:00 HKT
Lonely Planet guidebooks—as indispensable a part of travel as a valid credit card—celebrate their 30th anniversary this month. And every haggard backpacker who has ever needed a hostel address in Chiang Mai or the number of a bus route in New Delhi owes them thanks.

Given that it's in the front section of every volume, Lonely Planet's history is well known. The first title, Across Asia on the Cheap, was written by Maureen and Tony Wheeler after a land journey from London to Australia, as a response to friends who constantly asked, "How did you do it?" The book was homemade and hand-stapled—and perfectly timed for a generation eager to join the hippie trail: the first print run of 1,500 sold out within a week of its appearance in October 1973.

Three decades and many air miles later, the Wheelers employ 400 staff and publish 600 titles in 17 languages. They also still go on the road—Tony Wheeler says travel gets him out of the office for six months each year and still never gets boring. We'll certainly raise a celebratory glass to that.

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